On This Day In Cricket - January 5

January 5th is a very special date in cricket history, associated with many historic and memorable moments over the years. On this day, some great batsmen changed the course of matches with their historic innings, while others saw the introduction of new formats change the course of the game. Legendary players were born on this date, along with record-breaking performances, historic victories, and major series decisions, leaving a deep mark on the history of Test, ODI, and international cricket. For this reason, January 5th is considered one of cricket's most memorable days.

On This Day - January 5, 2014 - Australia’s 5–0 Ashes Whitewash

Australia defeated England at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on 5 January 2014 to win the Ashes series 5-0 and it was an absolutely rare whitewash in Test cricket history. Australia won the fifth and final Test against England today by 281 runs, completing the series 5-0. This was only the third time in the 131-year history of the Ashes that Australia had achieved a 5-0 clean sweep of England. The match was played in Sydney from 3rd January to 5th January 2014.

England won the toss and elected to field first. Australia batted first and scored 326 runs, with Steve Smith scoring a century (115). England were all out for just 155 runs in their first innings. Australia then scored 276 runs in their second innings, setting England a mammoth target of 448 runs to win. Chasing the target, England were all out for just 166 runs in their second innings. Australia won the match in just three days. Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson was the most effective player in the series, taking 37 wickets for 165 runs in the entire series and was named the Player of the Series. In the fifth Test, Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris took 8 wickets including 5 wickets in the second innings and was chosen as Man of the Match. This pace attack of Australia is considered one of the most dangerous in the history of cricket.

On This Day - January 5, 1971 - The First ODI Was Played

On this day in 1971, the One Day International (ODI) was born. You may be surprised to know that ODI cricket was born not as a planned event, but rather as a result of the cancellation of the third Test match between Australia and England in Melbourne. Heavy rain washed out the first three days of the Test match, leaving organizers fearing significant losses. To alleviate the disappointment of spectators and to recover revenue, officials decided to play a limited-overs match on the fifth day of the Test and the first ODI was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The match consisted of 40 overs for each team. Eight balls were bowled per over, a departure from today's six-ball rule. Players wore white clothing and the match was played with a red ball.

This match had no official name and was considered merely an exhibition match. England, after winning the toss and batting first, were all out for 190 in 39.4 overs, with John Edrich scoring 82, the first half-century in ODI history. Australian spinner Ashley Mallett took 3 wickets, while Keith Stackpole took 2 wickets. Chasing the target, Australia scored 191 for 5 in 34.6 overs, winning the match. Ian Chappell top-scored for Australia with 60 and Australia won the match by 5 wickets. England's John Edrich was named the first Man of the Match in ODI history for his innings of 82. The huge enthusiasm of the approximately 46,000 spectators who came to watch this match made the ICC think that this shorter format of cricket could become very popular in the future. Initially, ODI matches were seen only as the younger brother of Test cricket, but gradually it changed the face of the game and due to the success of this match, it became possible to organize the first Cricket World Cup in 1975.

On This Day - January 5, 2014 - Ben Stokes’ Five-Catch Test Record

Ben Stokes took five catches in an innings of the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town on 5 January 2020, becoming the first English player in Test cricket history to take five catches in an innings as a non-wicketkeeper and equalling the world record for most catches in an innings, previously held by 11 other fielders. Australia's Steve Smith also took five catches at the same Newlands ground in 2018. However, this was the first time in England's 1,019 Test matches that a non-wicketkeeper had achieved this feat.

Stokes took all five catches while fielding at second slip. He took the catches of South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, Zubair Hamza, Rassie van der Dussen, Dwaine Pretorius and Anrich Nortje. The final catch came from Anrich Nortje in the opening overs of today's game, wrapping up South Africa's innings. England had scored 269 runs in their first innings. Stokes' superb fielding helped England bowl South Africa out for 223 in their first innings. England took a 46-run lead in the first innings, putting them in a strong position in the match. James Anderson took five wickets in the first innings, putting considerable pressure on South Africa. England batted well in the second innings and eventually won the match. Before this match, the record for most catches taken in an innings by an England player was four, a record that had been broken 23 times. Stokes is considered one of the best and most complete fielders in the world and this achievement came after his impressive 2019 World Cup and Ashes performances.

On This Day - January 5, 2011 - Michael Clarke’s Historic 329* 

On this day in 2012, former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke scored his historic unbeaten triple century of 329 runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground. This is his highest individual score and the 5th highest individual score in Test cricket in Australia. Michael Clarke played this innings during India's tour of Australia 2011-12 in the 100th Test at the Sydney Ground, which began on 3 January 2012.

This was Clarke's first and only triple century. He played 468 balls in this innings, hitting 38 fours and only 1 six. Clarke declared his innings at 329*, helping Australia post a mammoth total of 659 runs for 4 wickets. India struggled in both its innings, scoring 191 in the first innings and 400 in the second. Australia won the match by a huge margin of an innings and 68 runs and took a 2-0 lead in the series. With this innings, Clarke became only the second batsman to score a triple century at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Michael Clarke was known as an aggressive and strategic captain who scored 8643 runs in 115 Test matches, 7981 runs in 245 ODIs and 488 runs in just 34 T20Is in his cricket career.

On This Day - January 5, 1941 - Tiger Pataudi Was Born

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, aka Tiger Pataudi, was born on 5 January 1941 in Bhopal, India. He is considered one of the greatest captains of Indian cricket, who took over the captaincy of the Indian team at the age of only 21 and became the second youngest captain in the history of Test cricket at that time. He was the first Indian captain to instill a winning mentality and aggressive approach in the Indian cricket team and under his captaincy, India achieved its first overseas Test series win against New Zealand in 1968. Pataudi was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1968, a prestigious honour.

It's a strange fact, but Mansoor's father, Iftikhar Ali Khan, also died on this day in 1952. Iftikhar was a famous and the only cricketer to play Test cricket for both England and India. He played for England from 1932 to 1934 and for India in 1946. In Iftikhar Ali honour, the Pataudi Trophy was introduced in 1941 for the Test series between England and India, which has now been renamed as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Tiger Pataudi also played domestic matches for Sussex in England between 1957 and 1970. Right-handed batsman Mansoor is also said to be the best fielder in the world of his time, who received the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001, which is the highest honour given by BCCI.

On This Day - January 5, 2011 - Jacques Kallis’ 40th Test Century

Jacques Kallis scored his 40th Test century on 5 January 2011 at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town. It was one of his finest innings, putting South Africa in a commanding position in the match. By scoring a century in the second innings of the third and final Test against India, Jacques Kallis surpassed Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest Test century scorer, behind only Sachin Tendulkar’s 51. This was also his second century in the same match, making him the first South African to score two centuries in the same match on home soil.

This crucial century gave South Africa a commanding 339-run lead over India by the end of the fourth day of the match. South Africa had managed to score only 64 runs at the loss of four wickets. Kallis then took charge and rescued the team from trouble. He formed crucial partnerships with Mark Boucher, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in the match, scoring an unbeaten 109. On the final day, South Africa set India a target of 340 runs to win, a target that proved nearly impossible to achieve. The match ultimately ended in a draw, with Kallis's innings playing a crucial role in the result. Jacques Kallis is considered one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history, often compared to Sir Garfield Sobers. He scored a total of 45 Test centuries in his career, the most by any South African player. He is the only player to have amassed over 10,000 runs and taken over 250 wickets in both Tests and ODIs. He scored 13,289 runs in his Test career, the fourth-highest total of all time and also holds the record for most Man of the Match awards in Test cricket with 23.

On This Day - January 5, 1937 - Sir Don Bradman’s 248*

On 5 January 1937, on the fourth day of the third Test match against England at the Melbourne Ground, Sir Don Bradman scored an unbeaten 248. This was one of his highest scores made in a single day, which totally changed the game in Australia’s favor. This innings was important because, despite suffering from the flu, Bradman came to bat at the lower order at 7. The match began on 1 January 1937 and concluded on 7th January 1937. Bradman and Jack Fingleton formed a crucial partnership for the sixth wicket, which helped Australia build a substantial lead over England. After scoring fifty runs during Australia's second innings on the third day of this match, Bradman became the fastest to 4000 runs in Tests, which still stands at the top.

After winning the toss, Australia decided to bat first and scored 200 runs. On the other hand, England could only manage 76 runs in their first innings in which Wally Hammond scored 32 runs, and 4 players including captain Gubby Allen were out on duck. Australia declared their second innings at 604 for 6, setting England an impossible target of 384 to win. Bradman completed his innings the next day on 6 January and scored a total of 270. The partnership between Bradman and Fingleton for the sixth wicket was a world record of 346 runs, which stood for many decades. In this match, Australia defeated England by a huge margin of 365 runs and Australia came back in the series after trailing 0-2 and finally won the 1936-37 Ashes series 3-2.